MUMBAI: Holi revelry took on a nightmarish hue in parts of the city on Thursday as "colour poisoning" caused the death of a child and led to the hospitalization of scores of others.
About 195 people were admitted to Sion Hospital and another 12 to Rajawadi Hospital, beginning in the afternoon, after they complained of giddiness, burning sensation on skin, nausea and vomiting. A 13-year-old, Vicky Valmiki, who was taken to Rajawadi with similar symptoms died at 11pm.
The hotbeds of the colour poisoning, the police said, were areas like Shastri Nagar, Shahu Nagar and Lokmanya Tilak Nagar in Dharavi, where panic spread fast as news travelled of children fainting. Between 1pm and 2pm, over 100 patients were rushed to Sion Hospital, many in police vans.
Over the day, Sion Hospital admitted about 195 patients, 91 of them children, hospital dean Dr Sandhya Kamath said. Three of the patients-Renuka Maitre (3), Venkatesh Patnam (12) and Omkar Pode (9)-were admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit after the oxygen levels in their blood dipped significantly.
Till late evening, there was little clarity on the source of the toxic colours or the precise nature of the poisonous substance. The state government has set up a high-level probe into the episode.
The police suspected the toxic substance may have come from a Dharavi dumping ground where harmful effluents are thrown by the area's leather tanners.
The Dharavi police registered an FIR against unknown persons for causing harm by dangerous means, voluntarily causing hurt and mischief under sections 337, 338, 324, 325 and 425 of the Indian Penal Code. "There is a major leather tanning industry in Dharavi," said assistant commissioner of police Prabhakar Satam. "It is possible that some children mistook leftover tanning dye for Holi colours and traded in it."
Health minister Suresh Shetty asked a team from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to collect samples and investigate the incident. A little later, the police asked officials from the forensic science laboratory to collect colour samples.
Most patients said they experienced the symptoms a few hours after playing with the colours, while some said they started feeling uneasy after coming in contact with water.
Nitin Tak (12), who was admitted to Sion Hospital's ward 3, only remembered having "taken gulal" from his friends. "I started playing holi at around 8am. After two-three hours, I came home, took a shower and went off to sleep," he said. Tak's mother Huli said he woke up in a daze, feeling giddy and unable to walk. He was rushed to the hospital.
At Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, 12 patients, including two children, were admitted for colour poisoning. Residents of the Railway Colony in Kurla, they showed symptoms similar to those exhibited by Dharavi patients. The hospital, early on, said that two patients were critical and admitted in MICU. Around 11pm, one 13-year-old patient, Vicky Valmiki, died. "The patients came with symptoms like nausea, giddiness, headache and were immediately admitted," said a doctor from the hospital.
The director of major hospitals and dean of KEM Hospital, Dr Sanjay Oak, said it was suspected that a chemical compound like Benzene (commonly used in paint and dye industry) caused the poisoning. "But we will know for sure only after the tests. At least the symptoms of patients are hinting towards that." Oak added that all patients will be discharged after 24 hours. "The antidote has been given. Now, oxygen administration and monitoring is being done." Oak explained that colour poisoning occurs as toxic chemical get absorbed through the skin and deprive the body of oxygen. Most patients were given the methylene blue injection that helps haemoglobin carry oxygen better. Though Sion Hospital initially ran out of stock, it managed to restore the supply by making immediate purchases.
The state government has set up a five-member committee to probe the Dharavi episode, said additional chief secretary Jayant Kumar Banthia. The panel will be headed by medical education secretary I S Chahal and will include state pollution control board member secretary Milind Mhaiskar, additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar, FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade, a joint commissioner of police, the director of industrial safety, and the director of health department. The committee will submit its report in two weeks. "We will ensure that such incidents do not get repeated in the future," Banthia said.
source: TOI
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